Currents Magazine Shoot

I'm so happy to announce that the June issue of Currents magazine is available now! And...if you flip to page 52, you will see the story featuring the photos I took several weeks ago! I've had my photos in numerous magazines and newspapers but this particular shoot meant a lot to me. This is the first time that McGraw Photography was hired to shoot directly for a publication - not a photo that ended up in a publication through a realtor, a builder, an auction company, or a story featuring a photo I had in my archives. No, the publisher contacted me directly for this shoot...ME? It feels like a dream and means the world to me. I really feel blessed to be working in a field that I have loved all of my life.

I hope my photography brings a smile to peoples' faces and I look forward to doing this for years to come!

Rocky the Boxer - Emerald Isle

I'm so happy to be reporting from Emerald Isle, NC! I'm here for the week for my sister's wedding but was lucky enough to sneak in a photo shoot with her adorable Boxer, Rocky. This sweet boy was one of the first dogs I photographed when I decided to move into the realm of pet portrait photography. I have learned so much in such a short period of time and it amazes me to see how far I have come in just the past few months. I am so happy I had the opportunity to photography Rocky again as it has really helped me see that hard work and practice really do pay off. I still have a lot to learn but I'm enjoying every minute of it!

Rocky's session began at his (soon-to-be) grandparent's beach house and ended up on the shoreline. At 7 in the morning, we were greeted with beautiful light and an empty beach...what more could you ask for?

Oh, sorry there are so many pics! Rock Rock (or Rocky, Bocky, Maki, Saki, Taki) was just the perfect little model.

Please take us home!

Time for some new pics from the Great Dane Rescue of the Carolinas! I'm a little nervous posting these because these are the first images I have edited with my new computer. I'm still not sure if it is calibrated correctly and I think I have to do some more tweaking. Anyway, I'm thrilled to have this new computer and, so far, it has really cut my editing time. Definitely worth going into debt for. :) So here is the first doggy of the day... This handsome man is Ziggy. He is a new arrival to the rescue and was an owner-surrender. He already knows how to "sit" and is a sweet and curious guy. Oh, and aren't his eyes gorgeous?!?

Next we have Bart. Don't let the snaggle tooth fool you...this little guy is a cuddle machine!!! This chi-mix will make an awesome companion for a lucky person! He could just drift right to sleep in your arms...

Kobe is this next big guy. He is a Dane/Shepherd mix and will need lots of room to play. He is a smart fellow and another one of these dogs that has beautiful eyes!

Ok, how cute is this next guy? This boy is Jax (yes, with an x) and is ALL Bloodhound. He is still a pup around 8 months old and has the classic Bloodhound wrinkles and droopy ears. What a handsome young man. (Please note: he is available through the Michigan Bloodhound Rescue)

This next little (er, big) lady is Queena. I almost didn't want to post her pictures because I really want her to come home with ME! She is a beautiful Great Dane with a heart of gold. She loves to cuddle and could spend hours getting her rump scratched! I think her name is fitting...doesn't she look like royalty?

Next in line is Homer. Homer has the biggest personality and a huge smile and expressive ears to match!

Jhett is the next pup I got to spend some time with. He is another Shepherd mix with the brains to match. I swear he learned to sit as we were in the pen with him!

Is this the sweetest face ever? I think so! This is Jackson - another new arrival to the Rescue. This sweetheart was an owner-surrender on death row at a high-kill shelter. He is soooo happy to be safe now and wants to find someone to cuddle with...

This next gang was rescued from a puppy mill where their lives were miserable and doomed. Fortunately, these Rat Terriers are safe now! I don't know their names but there are 4 pups total (one was a little shy of the camera so he is not pictured). Their personalities range from outgoing and energetic (like the first guy below) to shy and sweet. [UPDATE: The black and white one is named Kicie, the bottom two are Beau and Luke, and the one not pictured is Piper.] One of them could be perfect for you...

Lastly, I want to give a special thank you to Ronnie and Corn for their help at the rescue this day. I couldn't do it alone!

The Great Dane Rescue

So many people think the Great Dane Rescue must only rescue, well, Great Danes. Well I'm here to prove otherwise! Today we are going to visit the (very) small side of this big world. We'll start out with three sets of little puppies that are available at the Rescue. These first two are sweet little lap dogs that just need a little grooming and some loving. They are true sweethearts!

These next two are little wiggle worms that are all about playing. They are very much still puppies but will grow up to be awesome lap doggies!

These two are some of the cutest puppies I have seen in a long time! They have the prettiest coats and are oh so fluffy. They love to play but are equally interested in cuddling. I would love to see these two go home together!

The pup in the next series is Luna but was nicknamed "Speck" by Brian because she is so tiny...as in the smallest dog I have EVER seen. You can see that she isn't much bigger than Brian's hand! She is a cutie!

Greenville, SC Travel Sessions

6! Yes, 6 Dogs!

How do you pose 6 dogs on the front porch of a house when they have no desire to do so? Two words...you don't. Hehe!!! This photo shoot was for some posters and advertisements for an upcoming contest to benefit the Cornelius Animal Shelter. The theme will be, "When you adopt a pet, you make your house a home." This is oh so true! What better way to illustrate that theme than to show a group of dogs posing together in front of a house? Well, that was the idea anyway. This little gang was so full of energy and had other plans. ;)

We had to abandon the posing and go back to what I do best...candids! Either way, these doggies were so cute and were more than happy to turn it on for the camera. I think we got some good images that the shelter will be able to use and hopefully raise a lot of money for a good cause!

Doesn't Parker (on the left) look like a fluffy little black bear?!? Adorable!

The sun peaking through the trees was making for some gorgeous lighting. I'm definitely going to practice this technique more...

I think the next set of pictures absolutely embodies the theme of the contest...

One last attempt to get them to pose together...

Stop and Smell the Flowers

Yeah, I know. This isn't my normal post on architecture or pet portraits...or even the occasional person or iPhone photo. This is completely different and a little outside of the box when it comes to what I photograph. However, I couldn't resist! These gorgeous blooms appeared for the first time this year in my backyard (thanks to a transplant from my sister's house in South Carolina) and I just wanted to stop for a moment and smell the flowers...

iPhone photos - trip to Maine

The last three days I have been in Maine for a family function. I took this opportunity to take a short break from taking pictures with my "real" camera and avoid adding on to the long list of post-processing I have to do. Of course, that didn't mean no picture taking at all! My iPhone is always right there with me and it doesn't require long hours of editing! Aaaahhhhhh...so easy...most of these were taken out the car (or plane) window!